"Supernatural: of or relating to things that cannot be explained
according to natural laws." Less than 50,000 years ago mankind had no
art, no religion, no sophisticated symbolism, no innovative thinking.
Then, in a dramatic and electrifying change, described by scientists as
"the greatest riddle in human history", all the skills and qualities
that we value most highly in ourselves appeared already fully formed, as
though bestowed on us by hidden powers. In "Supernatural", Graham
Hancock sets out to investigate this mysterious "before-and-after
moment" and to discover the truth about the influences that gave birth
to the modern human mind. His quest takes him on a journey of adventure
and detection from the stunningly beautiful painted caves of prehistoric
France, Spain and Italy to remote rock shelters in the mountains of
South Africa where he finds a treasure trove of extraordinary Stone Age
art. He uncovers clues that lead him to travel to the depths of the
Amazon rainforest to drink the powerful plant hallucinogen Ayahuasca
with Indian shamans, whose paintings contain images of "supernatural
beings" identical to the animal-human hybrids depicted in prehistoric
caves and rock shelters. And hallucinogens such as mescaline, also
produce visionary encounters with exactly the same beings. Scientists at
the cutting edge of consciousness research have begun to consider the
possibility that such hallucinations may be real perceptions of other
"dimensions". Could the "supernaturals" first depicted in the painted
caves and rock shelters be the ancient teachers of mankind? Could it be
that human evolution is not just the "blind", "meaningless" process that
Darwin identified, but something else, more purposive and intelligent,
that we have barely even begun to understand?

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